Poisoning from poisonous plants happens quite often, since many of them have an attractive appearance and at first glance seem not at all dangerous. Those people who collect herbs should be very careful and take all precautions. It is important for them to know where poisonous plants grow and what they look like. It is equally important to be able to provide first aid to a poisoned person. Most poisonous plants are used in medicine. One of them is henbane. A poisonous plant 30-60 cm high. Belongs to the Solanaceae family. Among the people, henbane (see photo below) also has other names: rabid fading, toothbrush, night blindness, cocklebur, dope-grass, rabies, stupefaction, scab. The Latin name of the plant is Hyoscyam us niger L. In some literature, the English name of the plant is Henbane, meaning "chicken killer".
Description
Bellena is a poisonous plant that has a not very pleasant, intoxicating aroma. From above it is all covered with sticky hairs. The root of the plant is vertical, branched. The stem is straight. In plants,which are not more than a year old, only a basal rosette of large, ovoid leaves is developed. In the second year of life, a stem begins to develop with stem-bearing, large-toothed leaves of an ovoid shape. The henbane flower is slightly irregular in shape, cream-colored with purple veins. It is a tubular-campanulate cup with 5 teeth. Flower corolla is funnel-shaped, stamens, as a rule, 5. Pistil with upper ovary and capitate stigma. Henbane is a poisonous plant that blooms in the summer (June-August) time. Its fruit is a pitcher-shaped two-celled box. One plant has a lot of seeds, they are small, brown-gray.
Distribution
Poisonous plant Henbane black grows mainly in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, the B altic States, Central Asia. Often found in Africa, India, China. Henbane is a poisonous plant that is considered a weed. It grows in wastelands, pebbles, garbage heaps, near houses, in gardens and orchards. In Crimea, it can be found on the outskirts of vineyards. Henbane grows in small groups or scattered, does not form thickets. Recently, in the Voronezh and Novosibirsk regions, it has been introduced into the industrial group.
Toxicity and chemical composition
Poisonous is any part of henbane. The plant contains poisonous alkaloids, bitter glycoside, fatty oils, atropine groups, resins. The maximum content of poisons during the flowering period. Atropine contained in henbane has a neurotoxic and psychotropic effect. For adultsa lethal dose is 100 mg of the substance, 10 mg is enough for children. Atropine is very rapidly absorbed through the skin. The substance is excreted in the urine within 14 hours. Signs of henbane poisoning are: excessive arousal, dilated pupils, reddening of the skin of the face, hallucinations, dizziness, delirium.
The use of henbane in medicine
Despite the fact that henbane is a poisonous plant, it is often used to make medicines. Means with henbane have a calming, analgesic and anti-spasmodic effect on the human body. Oil from the leaves of the plant is used for rubbing for bruises, rheumatism and gout. Henbane extract is used for dysmenorrhea, cervical muscle spasms, vaginismus. In folk medicine, henbane is used to treat headaches, insomnia, melancholy, bronchitis, gastritis, convulsions and bronchial asthma. Small doses of drugs have a therapeutic effect, large doses are poison. Contraindications to the use of products containing henbane: pregnancy, lactation, individual intolerance. Of the drugs that include henbane (photo below), the most famous are: Astmatin and Astmatol, Kellatrin, Efatin, Aeron.
Use of henbane in other areas
Wool is dyed with an aqueous extract of henbane to give it a bronze hue. The evaporated juice of the plant is used in the preparation of a silver-white paint. seed oilused in Egypt for burning. Henbane is also used in agriculture. Plant powder, decoctions, infusions are used to kill aphids, golden tails, spider mites, cabbage moths, herbivorous bugs. Quite often, black henbane is used in cosmetology. It is added to creams for freckles and wrinkles, shampoos and conditioners to strengthen hair.
How henbane is harvested
In order for the plant to be used all year round, it must be learned how to properly store it. The collected henbane is dried in a well-ventilated attic. The leaves are laid out in a thin (no more than 2 cm) layer, turned over from time to time. If there is an electric dryer, then the plant is dried at 40-45 degrees. In this case, the yield of finished raw materials will be no more than 18%. When collecting and shifting the plant, in order to avoid poisoning, it is necessary to protect the skin of the hands with gloves. If they are not available, then after work, hands are washed several times with soap.
Folk henbane recipes
With epilepsy, internal pain, rheumatism or sciatica, alcohol tincture of henbane is very useful. To prepare it, 30 g of dry raw materials are poured into a glass of alcohol (vodka, moonshine). Insist 3-4 days in a dark glass container or in a place inaccessible to sunlight. The finished infusion is filtered. The leaves are squeezed and discarded. Take the liquid three times a day, 1-2 drops, diluted in 10 ml of water. Treatment is carried out 20 minutes before the main meal.
The following infusion is recommended for use whengastrointestinal pain. Take a teaspoon of dry crushed mass and steam 500 ml of boiling water. Wrap and insist about 50 minutes. After straining, the leaves are discarded. Taken as an anesthetic directly for pain three times a day, 10 ml.
With gout, neuralgia, rheumatic pains, fresh henbane leaves are soaked in ammonia (1:1). An hour later add vegetable oil (1:5). The resulting remedy is rubbed on sore spots. In case of inflammation of the oral cavity, it is useful to smoke henbane leaves like cigars, trying to retain the healing smoke in the mouth. For toothache, it is recommended to inhale the smoke from the burning henbane seed.
